Thursday, March 24, 2011

I was pleased in February when an older brother offered to read one of the printed novel proofs. Although he is not part of my target audience, he said he enjoyed it. He picked up on some references from our home town and family history that I wasn't even aware existed. This is a story of fiction that contains no characters related to people living or dead. I better make sure I put that in the front flap! I do though use my dear father's name for a character who helped turn around Matthew's wild ways and led him into the noble trade of carpentry and cabinetry.

Next, a co-worker offered to read it one snowy weekend. She didn't exactly tell me that she liked it but she said "I didn't want it to end." Nice. Then she declared, "You have to do a sequel!" Ack! No, I loathe sequels. I thought the ending was good enough to lead the reader into events that might transpire afterward. Sigh.

Next, a technically inclined writing friend accepted my offer for him to read it. Again, not in my target group but now I'm starting to wonder... Maybe men could enjoy this story especially if they would relate to Father Gio or even Matthew. They may also enjoy getting to know sexy, outspoken Georgette. Aside from the spelling mistakes and consistency checks, he said he liked it and it kept him going. He liked the themes and thought the ending was perfect. Yay!

So... once I have both proofs in my hot little hands, I will apply the recommended edits and submit once again for review. Hopefully, I'll have this ready for the print on demand service and an e-book version by Easter.

This has been a fun, stressful, rewarding project that I hope to see to fruition.